For the Super Bowl, cookie-sheet taco nachos

By KATE MORGAN JACKSON

SPECIAL TO THE RECORD |

The Record

When it comes to the Super Bowl I pay zero attention to the game, but don’t budge during the commercials; I want to be absolutely sure I see what everyone will be talking about the next day. I also make sure I have something that is perfect for snacking on in front of the game and easy to make, so we don’t miss any, you know, commercials.

Start with the best tortilla chips you can find. I recently discovered Xochitl Chips, and I am officially in tortilla chip love. They are light and crispy and just the right amount of salty and delicious. Scatter your chips in a generous single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet – you can have a little overlap of chips, but try not to pile them on top of each other. We’re going to top them with all sorts of fabulous things, and there is nothing sadder than a naked nacho chip.

Once your chips are all laid out, you are going to lovingly anoint them with barbecue meat. If you want to make this a serious weekend project, you can make your own, but the easiest route is to get a container of the pre-made stuff at the supermarket (you can usually find it with the ham and hot dogs), which will work perfectly fine. Or you can cook up a nice batch of taco-spiced ground beef the way you do when you are making tacos, which will mean you then need to call these Cookie Sheet Taco Nachos, but that’s perfectly OK with me. Once you have the meat on the chips, the next step is to generously sprinkle them with shredded cheddar or jack cheese (generously is the key word here).

Now pop them in the oven for a few minutes, just long enough for the cheese to get deliciously melty, and while you are waiting, you can assemble the other toppings. All of these are optional and interchangeable (I am a big fan of using all of them), but you pick out the ones you like best: guacamole, thinly sliced radishes, pico de gallo, salsa, chopped onion, chopped chives … you get the picture. The one thing not to skip: a mixture of sour cream thinned with a little milk; it adds a nice cool and tangy taste to all that spiciness you have going on.

Now lay that cookie sheet full of nachos down in front of those hungry football fans and watch the chips fly. And, because you started with a nice single layer of those chips, every single one will have some of the nacho-y goodness nestled on it. So no matter whom you are rooting for, at least you know the Super Bowl snacks are going to be a winner.

Kate Morgan Jackson of Upper Saddle River blogs about food at Framed Cooks. Her site is on Saveur.com’s list of "Sites We Love." For additional recipes, go to framedcooks.com.

* COOKIE SHEET BBQ NACHOS

1 bag of tortilla chips

2 cups of barbecue (any variety) or taco-spiced cooked ground beef

3 cups shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese

Your choice of any of the following toppings: guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, thinly sliced radishes, chopped onion, scallion or chives, or anything else you like on your nachos

1/2 cup sour cream thinned with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk (enough to make it pourable)

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread a generous single layer of tortilla chips on a rimmed cookie sheet.

Spread the meat over the chips, and then scatter the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

As soon as the nachos come out of the oven, top them with your choice of toppings, and then drizzle the sour cream mixture over them. Serve at once, right off of the cookie sheet (make sure you put something under the cookie sheet to protect your table).

For the Super Bowl, cookie-sheet taco nachos

When it comes to the Super Bowl I pay zero attention to the game, but don’t budge during the commercials; I want to be absolutely sure I see what everyone will be talking about the next day. I also make sure I have something that is perfect for snacking on in front of the game and easy to make, so we don’t miss any, you know, commercials.

Start with the best tortilla chips you can find. I recently discovered Xochitl Chips, and I am officially in tortilla chip love. They are light and crispy and just the right amount of salty and delicious. Scatter your chips in a generous single layer on a rimmed cookie sheet – you can have a little overlap of chips, but try not to pile them on top of each other. We’re going to top them with all sorts of fabulous things, and there is nothing sadder than a naked nacho chip.

Once your chips are all laid out, you are going to lovingly anoint them with barbecue meat. If you want to make this a serious weekend project, you can make your own, but the easiest route is to get a container of the pre-made stuff at the supermarket (you can usually find it with the ham and hot dogs), which will work perfectly fine. Or you can cook up a nice batch of taco-spiced ground beef the way you do when you are making tacos, which will mean you then need to call these Cookie Sheet Taco Nachos, but that’s perfectly OK with me. Once you have the meat on the chips, the next step is to generously sprinkle them with shredded cheddar or jack cheese (generously is the key word here).

Now pop them in the oven for a few minutes, just long enough for the cheese to get deliciously melty, and while you are waiting, you can assemble the other toppings. All of these are optional and interchangeable (I am a big fan of using all of them), but you pick out the ones you like best: guacamole, thinly sliced radishes, pico de gallo, salsa, chopped onion, chopped chives … you get the picture. The one thing not to skip: a mixture of sour cream thinned with a little milk; it adds a nice cool and tangy taste to all that spiciness you have going on.

Now lay that cookie sheet full of nachos down in front of those hungry football fans and watch the chips fly. And, because you started with a nice single layer of those chips, every single one will have some of the nacho-y goodness nestled on it. So no matter whom you are rooting for, at least you know the Super Bowl snacks are going to be a winner.

Kate Morgan Jackson of Upper Saddle River blogs about food at Framed Cooks. Her site is on Saveur.com’s list of "Sites We Love." For additional recipes, go to framedcooks.com.

* COOKIE SHEET BBQ NACHOS

1 bag of tortilla chips

2 cups of barbecue (any variety) or taco-spiced cooked ground beef

3 cups shredded cheddar and/or jack cheese

Your choice of any of the following toppings: guacamole, pico de gallo, salsa, thinly sliced radishes, chopped onion, scallion or chives, or anything else you like on your nachos

1/2 cup sour cream thinned with 2 to 3 tablespoons of milk (enough to make it pourable)

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread a generous single layer of tortilla chips on a rimmed cookie sheet.

Spread the meat over the chips, and then scatter the cheese on top. Bake until the cheese is melted, about 10 minutes.

As soon as the nachos come out of the oven, top them with your choice of toppings, and then drizzle the sour cream mixture over them. Serve at once, right off of the cookie sheet (make sure you put something under the cookie sheet to protect your table).